Health and sports

● New Primary Healthcare Centre in Gozo ● More medicines on the government formulary ● Family Adventure Park at Cottonera

Investment in the healthcare sector will continue with a new outpatient building at Mater Dei Hospital and a new regional centre in the north.

The outpatient centre will offer higher quality services and a more positive experience for patients, Finance Minister Scicluna said.

The health authorities will also be investing in robotic surgery, which is essential for certain types of procedures, including some carried out at the Oncology Centre.

It also plans to intensify investment in Primary Healthcare, offering specialised services in a manner that is more efficient and closer to the community.

After the construction of a Regional Health Centre in Kirkop, the government now plans to develop a similar centre in the north. These centres are aimed at complementing the health centres.

Gozo will also get a new Centre for Primary Health, which will boast new equipment and offer new services.

Mental Health

The renovation of Mount Carmel Hospital will continue while a new acute psychiatric hospital will be built. There will also be an emphasis on community mental healthcare.

The government will also start purchasing new medicines for the treatment of heart conditions, blood circulation, cancer, skin diseases and rare diseases, among others.

The programme to eradicate Hepatitis C will also be stepped up, while the government formulary will be extended.

Investment in cancer treatment will not be limited to the purchase of related medicines but there will also be new services for people who are cured of cancer. To complement this, there will be a Clinical Risk Management Unit, which will ensure that the services offered are of the highest quality.

The health authorities will keep working on prevention and foster a culture based on education and aimed at the physical and psychological well-being of every individual. For this reason, the national vaccination schedule for infective diseases will be extended.

A new National Poison Centre will be launched, offering services to people exposed to chemicals and toxins.

There will also be a new policy on chronic diseases, physical activity, resilience to antibiotics and sexual health.

Services offered to rape victims will also be strengthened.

Sport

The National Sport Strategy will be implemented over a number of years. Malta will be preparing for the Small Nation Games that will be held locally in 2023. To prepare for this event, a number of sports facilities, including the racetrack, as well as tennis, squash, weightlifting and handball facilities, will be modernised.

Works on an indoor pool at the Cottonera Sports Complex and a swimming pool at Marsascala will continue. The second phase of the Ta’ Kandja shooting complex will begin.

The government will soon be in a position to make announcements on the planned and much awaited motorsports track, Scicluna said.

Malta will also lobby to organise sports competitions like the Malta Special Olympics.

There will be an education campaign on the promotion of sports and the fight against the use of illegal substances.

An application will be filed to develop a Family Adventure Park in Cottonera. The project will make use of disused land and will form part of a regeneration project of the area.